The
Unexpected Awaits You
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| (Our entire group posing for a nice smile before our departure! Definitely missing these new friends already) |
Just
a little over two weeks ago, I was given the opportunity to attend a mission
trip with my college. Heading to
Indianapolis, Indiana to work with an organization called Shepherd Community on
the 46201 Zip Code Project, OCU student’s as well as those from the Church on
Como were met with an abundance of unexpected twists and turns along the way.
Riding
up separately to meet the team because of a previous Church commitment, I was
nervous to say the least about arriving and being welcomed by the already
established group of friends and family.
Only knowing about five people out of the thirty that were attending, my
heart trembled, and my stomach churned, as my eyes scanned the room for familiar
faces. But familiar you see, isn’t
always what God wants, and nor is the expected, so when I received word that
the majority of OCU student’s cancelled, and that meant that 90% of the group
was going to be composed of people from the Church on Como, I was terrified.
Glancing
around the room and locking eyes with two of my good friends from the college,
I graciously ran over to them, and expressed my concern. I was apprehensive, I felt guarded, and
scared, but I knew that in my timid yet shallow fears, God was going to make
this trip one that I would never forget.
Even though I didn’t presently know all the people in the group, my
heart longed to get to know them, and despite my views that they seemed like
tough people who would probably make me cry before I laughed, I decided to give
God the worries and trust Him fully in the pursuit of this unknown.
Later
that night, I felt a change beginning to form in my heart. As I lied awake on the air mattress beside of
my best friend, my mind raced over the uncertainty of the trip. The minuscule details that I was in a room
with basically all strangers, on the floor of a Church nursery, had no idea what
the schedule was going to be each day until that day arrived, and so forth, my
OCD went crazy. The Devil whispered
through his mirage of deception, “You
don’t belong here. You should just go
home. You think you’re going to make it
this week? How are you even going to
work at camps this summer if you can’t even make it a week here?” the
thoughts spiraled. But deciding to stop
him in his tracks, I simply prayed to God all night, until my eyes were falling
in heaviness, and His peace was affirming the brokenness in my heart. And you know what? After I did that, after I surrendered all I
had in the unknown of this trip to Him, He began to bless me more than I would
ever ask or imagine.
Now
approaching each day with a totally different mindset, I was amazed at how at
ease I felt in everything that happened.
Having to pack up our entire room the next morning and then resetting it
later in the day? No problem. Not having any
idea what in the world we were supposed to do each day until that day
arrived? I let it come and go as gently as the breeze in the wind. Facing an air mattress blowout, no no shorts,
and hello food allergies dilemma? I wasn’t going to let those things rain on
my parade. Having two guys threaten
to shoot at us during surveying, a crazy man trying to convince us that Jesus
and Satan were the same person, and getting yelled at by a woman screaming down
the street (not to mention plenty of slammed doors and following stalkers
later), I chose to saw these people as
opportunities to share God’s grace, and merely showered them with the love that I was able. And if I’m being
vulnerable with you, it was a bit crazy, but what is even crazier is that I as
a plannerized/OCD/loving order person, could find joy, suspense, and dare I
even say it, laughter, in the
schedule of no schedule, portraying
the unknown.
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| (My new friend Jordan and I talking about our trip and sharing a good laugh or two!) |
So,
in summary, although I didn't necessarily feel called to go before the trip,
God revealed to me within just a few short days why I was there, and the
purpose he had in store for me. I met incredible interns from an organization
called Youth in Mission, got to serve The Shepherd Community with a joyful
heart, meet the most humble, authentic, and real people from the Church on Co
Mo that I've ever met in my life, and experience a trip like no other that is
surely to impact my life forever. From worshiping as a group, to telling others
about Jesus, sharing our own stories, or just laughing, playing games, and
growing along the way, I have been truly blessed by a good God who never ceases
to amaze me. In all the work, we were able to accomplish, I know that we merely
planted the seeds and watered them, but God is the one who is going to further
the love and make them grow into something beautiful.
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| (The Surveying Team On Our Last Day: Left to Right: Dylan, Taylor, Kate, Jordan, Dalyn, TJ, Amber, Mike, Timmy) |
For
the first time in my life, I didn't care that we didn't know what we were doing
each day until that day arrived. I didn't care that my OCD, perfectionist mind
had nothing to cling to but the unknown of each and every day. And you know
what, I gladly welcomed the spontaneity and it has made all the difference. I
felt free of commitment, free of the piles of homework, and assignments, and
dance routines, and lines of lists that awaited me at my homes front door
because I was solely focused on one thing, and that one thing was that I was
going to do God's work this week, and nothing could stop me. And you know what?
I truly believe that that's exactly what
we did.
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| (Getting to help lead worship with these people was an incredible experience!) |
Because the unexpected
awaits us all, but we are given a choice to pursue it with an open heart. Seek the adventure,
follow the unknown, and let it change you from the outside looking in. After all, if God wanted us to know all the
details in life, don’t you think we would know them already? I think that has a lot to say about the minuteness of our power, and the magnitude of His.
